


For Those Inside the System

by Jadeleaf



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:07:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23704384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jadeleaf/pseuds/Jadeleaf
Summary: Tsunemori finds Arata working late, so it's only natural he decides to invite her out for dinner.  Inevitably, their conversation turns to the Sybil System.  Takes place after the First Inspector movie.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 40





	For Those Inside the System

**Author's Note:**

> This was born from a combination of missing Akane and wanting to give the newer cast some love. Contains spoilers up to the First Inspector movie.

Arata liked spending his evenings with Kei and Maiko. Their house was warm and the food like nothing he could get anywhere else in Japan, plus the company was fantastic. And yet, Arata didn’t like to impose himself too often. Of course, neither Kei nor Maiko would ever think he was imposing (or at least, Maiko wouldn’t), but they were married to each other, not Arata, so he made a point of not visiting too often.

Arata pushed his chair back from his desk and lifted his arms above his head in a long stretch. His joints popped and if that wasn’t a sign he had spent too long writing his reports, Arata didn’t know what was. The rest of the office was empty. Division Three had taken over the night shift and Arata found himself at loose ends. He thought about joining the Division One Enforcers in the canteen, but they had a new member and she still seemed uneasy around him and Kei.

He was just contemplating giving Karina a call when there was a knock on the glass. Akane Tsunemori stuck her head in, looking apologetic, but entered further at Arata’s encouraging smile.

“I wanted to make sure you weren’t working too late.”

Arata beamed. He found her concern for his welfare endearing.

“I’m just finishing up, you?”

She gave a slight nod and leaned onto one of the desks, looking a little tired. “Same. I sent the Chief home over an hour ago. She’s been working too hard.”

“I did the same to Kei,” Arata admitted with a laugh. “Maiko had been complaining to me that she hadn’t seen him in nearly a week.”

Tsunemori covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling together in mirth. It was then that an idea struck him.

“Have you eaten yet?”

“Not for a while.”

Arata jumped up from his chair and grabbed his coat. “Let’s go out somewhere. There’s a great ramen place in the abolition district.” He paused next to her, remembering his manners. “Unless there’s somewhere else you’d prefer?”

“Ramen and a chance to go outside would be perfect.”

Arata offered to drive because it seemed fair, although he was quick to switch to autopilot once they turned out of headquarters. He sat back in his seat and glanced over at Tsunemori, who was staring out her window lost in thought. Seeing that she was distracted, he decided to stare at her a little more openly as buildings continued to pass them by.

She was a little different in person compared to her pictures, which wasn’t particularly surprising. There was a warmth about her that many probably mistook for naivety and yet she wasn’t an open book either. Arata was almost tempted to do a mental trace, but he resisted the urge. After all, he wanted to get to know her the normal way – that was always more interesting. It was a sign Arata had been in his thoughts too long when Tsunemori broke the silence.

“It’s strange seeing the outside again after so long. Everything suddenly feels a little too big.”

“Aren’t you angry,” he asked, not realising that his question was a little too spontaneous and likely to be a sensitive subject.

“Why would I be?”

Arata shrugged. Tsunemori was surprisingly accepting of her situation, despite it being clear she was innocent. How could she believe in the Sybil System when she knew it was wrong about her?

“If the Sybil System wanted to get rid of me, I’d be dead.” Her laugh was sharp and humourless. “It finds me too interesting to eliminate completely.”

“Why did the Sybil System take an interest in you?” It seemed the safest question to ask.

Tsunemori brought her knees towards her chest and hugged her legs, focusing on something in the distance. “It was desperate. Although I didn’t know it at the time, my partner was at the end of his rope, so I was the only choice. It was a calculated decision. After the Helmet Riots, seeing the way society broke down the moment people didn’t believe in the System, it knew that I would support it to preserve order.

“Later, it tried to use me to gauge public sentiment before revealing its true identity to the wider population. That was before I fell out of favour,” she added.

“Is that the Sybil System’s goal?”

“Eventually. Every secret kept is another weakness in the System.”

“And yet you were framed.”

Tsunemori said nothing in response. The sound of the wind whistling past as they moved by another vehicle was the only thing that broke the silence.

“Do you still believe in the System?”

“I know until we find a better way of judging people, it is all we have besides chaos. I’ve seen the world outside Japan. However, I don’t approve of the Sybil System extending its influence. Not when it still has so many flaws.”

Arata could understand that. Tsunemori seemed to recognise the faults of the System far better than he did.

“Most who are criminally asymptotic feel cut off from the world that the Sybil System has created. They develop a sense of superiority to hide their loneliness. Being asked to become a part of the System feeds in to that narrative that they are special. I wonder if we lose something by the System only taking in those who are outside its judgement already.”

“Do you know of any other criminally asymptotic people who rejected joining the System?”

Tsunemori looked at him and smiled. “There were others, but you’re the first I know who rejected it because you cared more for the people around you than your pride.”

Arata looked ahead to the bright city lights and felt warmth spread to his chest. After all, he had his father and his friends to thank for that.

* * *

The rest of the journey was spent in a comfortable silence, and darkness had fully enveloped the city by the time they pulled up to the abolition quarter. The streets were noisy even though the night was still young. Bright lights advertising shops and products lined the streets, and people shouted for their attention as they continued down the alleys. Smells wafted from the small side restaurants and street carts, mixing together and driving away the growing chill of the night. 

Every so often, Arata glanced back to watch Tsunemori taking in the atmosphere around them. Briefly he wondered if she was lonely in isolation, even with her friends checking in on her sometimes.

“Did you come here often when you were an Inspector?”

Tsunemori’s attention shifted back to him. “Not really. My visits were mostly case-related, although we would often eat nearby afterwards. There were a couple times when I just went for a change of scenery.” She laughed. “I didn’t have much of a life outside work after I became Division One’s lead inspector.”

Arata eventually found the noodle stand. He had almost resorted to doing a mental trace, but Kei likely would’ve killed him if he’d found Arata using his skill over something so trivial. Luckily, they found it with only a minor detour and the extra walk had left them both starving for a meal.

As they sat in two vacant stools, Tsunemori breathed in deeply through her nose. A large grin split onto her face.

“I wasted too many of my meals eating in the Ministry of Welfare’s cafeteria… or worse, eating at my desk.” Her eyes were still bright as she watched the chef cook their ramen in front of them. “Fresh food smells so good when its cooking.”

“Kei and Maiko like to make a lot of their meals from scratch because they cook food from their homeland. It’s always delicious! I’ll invite you around sometime,” he added with a smile in her direction.

Tsunemori covered her mouth as she laughed. “Are you sure they wouldn’t mind me imposing?”

“Nah, I bet Maiko would like you.”

“One of the enforcers when I first arrived at the PSB was very good at cooking. He invited me around for a meal once.”

Arata could see the sadness in her eyes, despite the happy memory. “What happened to him?”

“He accidentally stumbled upon _that_ room.”

Arata felt his blood go cold. He remembered the way his dominator switched to its lethal mode even when Azusawa’s psycho pass was well below 300.

“I’m sorry.”

“I think the worst part is I can’t give the others closure. They all suspect he’s dead, but,” she paused for a moment, “there’s a difference between that and knowing for certain.

“That’s why I’ll continue to fight for a just system.”

The sombre mood was suddenly broken as two bowls were placed in front of them, hitting the wooden surface with a clunk. Arata shared a soft smile with Tsunemori and the two thanked the chef for the food before digging in. 


End file.
